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Sameer came into the room and closed the door with a bang making Naina stiffen at her position. After what had happened she had decided to maintain a distance and have limited talks with him. She tried every way to ignore him and also tried to lessen her talkative nature at least with him. Staying away was a better and safer option, is what she thought. Shrugging off her thoughts she dipped herself in studying while she could hear him cursing under his breath which was loud enough to be audible to her.

"Is your hand better? Is it paining?" He asked her in his usual stern voice, she tilted her head upwards to look at him if he was concerned but seeing his blank expressions she realized he was just asking about this as a formality.

"I can take care of myself, you need not take pains of completing your part of formality." She replied as she diverted her attention towards her books again.

"I am your husband, you can't talk to me in this way!" He said as he clenched his jaw while his hands slipped into his pockets.

"In that way, I am your wife and you can't talk to me so rudely. By the way, you are mistaken Mr. Maheshwari, you are just my husband for the world adding to it I must say you are a namesake husband of mine just because of that marriage contract. Here, in your room, I am just a girl who is playing a part along with you in this drama." Naina replied to him calmly yet her tone was laced with seriousness.

"Don't play with words Khaza!" He screeched as he banged his hand on the wall just beside her head making her jump in fear and held her chin with slight pressure with his other hand and leaned towards her face. She shifted a bit in fear as he came close to her.

"I am just telling the tr-truth," Naina replied not wanting to portray herself as weak. She dared to look at him but quickly lowered her gaze as he looked like a beast with rage dancing in his eyes.

"Are you scared?" He asked her with his cold voice. Naina looked at him and gulped a lump of saliva. She looked at the other side not wanting to reply to him but he was quick to pull her face towards him tightening his grip on her jaw.

"Answer me dammit!" He screeched. Naina was pissed off from his authoritative behavior and pushed him away with whatever strength she had in her.

"What rights do you have to always order me? You can't talk to me in this way." She replied as she huffed in anger.

"You are my Wife." He replied as he fisted his palm.

"For the world and that too just for a year." She replied to him as her voice was too loud.

"Shut up!" Sameer screamed in anger which was louder than hers.

"I won't because what I am saying is true. And even if you were my husband in a true sense I would never tolerate and would behave in the same way as I am doing at this moment. I  don't care what you think of me. I just respect you for letting me live in your mansion. I just respect you because you have never objected to me from anything. I owe you a lot and will surely repay for all these but I will never tolerate any person manhandling me and talking so rudely to me always." Naina replied as she looked directly into his eyes. He stared at her dumbfounded. He gazed at her for a few moments as his eyes softened a bit as a lone tear flowed from her eyes before he could wipe it off. She wiped it with the back of her palm and took her books and tried to get back to her studies. Sameer hit his fist against the wall and walked into the bathroom.

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"You had your lunch?" Sameer questioned Naina trying to start a conversation while she simply ignored him and kept reading her book.

"I asked you something. Will you reply?" Sameer asked her again trying to control his temper at the moment. Naina did not reply to him and at the same moment, someone knocked on their room's door.

"I am sorry to disturb you both. Naina, I need help, are you free?" Kabir asked Naina as he entered the room. Naina smiled a bit seeing him and nodded her head in the way of yes.

"She can't help as she's studying. What help do you need from her?" Sameer interrupted their talk.

"I wanted to cook by myself for Shrikha. I said something which irritated her as usual and I am planning to cook something for her so that she does not stay mad at me. You are studying Naina, I did not notice that. No issues, I will do it myself." Kabir said.

"I can study later as just a few topics are remaining," Naina said while Sameer glared at her angrily.

"You can't cook," Sameer objected.

"Even I know that bro, I won't let her cook anything. I will cook by myself and she will instruct me." Kabir said as he held her hand gently making sure he did not hurt her and took her towards the kitchen. Naina did turn back to check Sameer, he just looked the other way as he clenched his jaw in anger muttering something in mute.

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"Sir, some people have come who are claiming to be the Queen's relatives." A guard spoke with his head bowed in respect.

"Let them come in," Sameer instructed and walked downstairs to meet them.

"Is it tasty? Check it once, Naina." Kabir said as he forwarded a spoon of the food he made. Naina ate it and made a bad face.

"How's it?" He asked.

"Like you, boring," Naina commented and ran from there as she laughed and Kabir chased her.

"You can't catch me." Naina teased as she ran and made a face seeing Kabir. Unknowingly she bumped into some rock-like figure hurting her nose.

"Is it hurting?" Sameer asked her as he turned. Naina's eyes widened seeing him and the people who were huffing in anger. Kabir slowed down in his tracks seeing many people, whom he did recognize. He looked at Sameer to assure himself at which Sameer simply nodded his head a bit.

"We can talk in the living room, Ron heads them towards the room. I will join you in a few minutes along with Naina." Sameer instructed and turned towards Kabir and Naina. Naina was shivering like a dry leaf whereas Kabir had closed his eyes as he knew what was going to come next.

"Do you wish to break all your bones? She's a child just eighteen years old but you don't have any sense left in your brain? Idiots!" Sameer scolded them and pulled Naina towards the living room. Naina resisted and tried to escape. Sameer glanced at her with a blank face and gestured to her to speak.

"You have called them so that they will take me back home. I-I promise I won't ignore you, don't send me back to them, please." She uttered.

"Did I say any such thing to you?" Sameer asked her.

"Hu-Huh?" She stuttered.

"Did I tell you that these people have come to take you back?" Sameer repeated himself at which Naina shook her head in a swift way of no like a kid. Sameer stared at her for a few moments and then took her along where her relatives were waiting for them, interviewing their fingers.

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"Do you want to go to the wedding?" Sameer asked Naina. She stared at him for a few minutes.

"Only if you come along." She replied as a whisper which was just audible to him.

"How can I?"

"Please." Naina requested as she held his hand with her shivering ones as tears coursed down her cheeks.

"It's her sister's wedding after all she must come as everyone is waiting for her to come back." A man who Naina called Mamaji, spoke as the couples were busy talking to each other. Naina looked at Mamaji who was checking her out in front of her parents and her husband. Her grip on the dupatta tightened and held it close to herself as she shifted uncomfortably.

"She will attend the wedding and you, what's your name?" Sameer questioned Mamaji.

"Naresh Aggarwal, manager of Agarwal Industries." He replied introducing himself at which Sameer nodded his head a bit.

"So we will leave." Rakesh intervened in their talks and gestured to Rama something making her stand. Naina quickly went towards them and touched their feet. Sameer remained seated, not bothered about his so-called in-laws.

"What were you doing with that boy? He is your husband, how can you behave this way in front of him?" Rama scolded her, making sure she was just audible to Naina.

"Listen, I am warning you don't do anything that will lower our reputation. Do you get that?" Rakesh warned as he held her hand making her wince and just nodded her head in a way of understanding.

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Sameer stared at Naina who was trying to rip off the gauze bandage as she had to re-dress her wounds. It was quite difficult for her as her left palm was too injured and had rashes. He could conclude that she had an enigmatic personality adding to her trait she held her self-esteem over everything. The amour-propre which she held to herself was a good thing but in all this, she had become stoic, is what he thought. He knew she needed help but would not go against her morals and would never ask for help so he walked towards her and pulled a chair to sit facing her. She gaped at sharp in silence as he held her hand and started undressing her wounds silently. The wound still oozed fresh blood and the entire right hand wore a purple-yellow smear of a bruise.

"Did you hurt yourself again?" He questioned, Naina simply nodded her head in a way of no not wanting him to know that her father had held her hand tight which resulted in her wounds still being fresh.

"Say the truth dammit! Did you hurt yourself or did someone hold your hand which resulted in this?" Sameer was bombarded in anger.

"N-No it's because of me. I-I hi-hit my hand so it's bleeding." Naina spluttered, as tears coursed down her face. Sameer just stared at her knowing that she was lying to him. He cleaned her wounds with an antiseptic and dressed her wounded hand not wanting to speak anything related to this topic as he knew he would end up hurting her. His knuckles had turned pale and had clenched his jaw just to remain silent and finish off his work.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Naina asked him as she held his hand. He gestured to her to leave his hand. "I spoke words which I should have not and I am sorry for that but it doesn't mean that I am sorry for whatever I said. I don't like when you hurt me when you manhandle me. I am just sorry for being rude. I don't like when you ignore me or when I ignore you." She spoke about what she felt at that particular moment.

"What does that make you feel? After all, I am your husband according to that shitty contract. This is what you said, right? I have been most lenient towards you and have always tried that I don't scare you off. I have always said that you can tell me anything and I mean it but you prefer to hide things from me. You just lied that you hurt yourself which is not at all the truth." Sameer replied to her in a harsh tone.

"I have been like this since my childhood and it's difficult for me to open up suddenly and adapt to the way you want me to be. I don't know why I feel bad when I ignore or don't talk to you. I don't know why." Naina spoke, clutching his hand tightly, pursing her lips trying to control her cries.

"Let's end this fight as it's affecting both of us. I don't consider you as my wife, I don't love you and can never love you but I do care for you. Maybe I care for you as I care for Nanu." Sameer spoke as he wiped her tears with his thumb and made her look at him. Naina slipped into his embrace resting her head on his chest. Sameer wrapped his hands around her frail body pulling her closer to himself. His embrace was warm and his big, strong arms seemed very protective when they wrapped around her petty body while he dipped his head in her crook of neck not wanting to go away from her.

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A somewhat comforting silence had preoccupied the room. Sameer and Kabir were having their food as Shrikha was sitting next to Naina working on her presentation. Naina was busy reading the newspaper, while her eyes shone with happiness as she read something.

"SJP's interview would be telecasted on television!" She squealed but bit her lips as she saw everyone staring at her with a confused face. At the time the embarrassment was immense, and she wished if only she could have hidden as a child may have. She mumbled a sorry and kept the newspaper on the table.

"Are you SJP's fan?" Kabir asked her at which she bobbed her head in the way of yes. "And you have never seen him?" He asked her again.

"Never, I have just read about him and his interviews in the newspaper," Naina replied naively.

"But how's that even possible. You know him so well, he's yo-" Shrikha spoke in disbelief.

"So you haven't met him, right?"Kabir asked her as he interrupted Shrikha.

"I said I have never met him nor have I seen him ever because I was never allowed to watch television at home. He always refers to himself as SJP in the business world so even editors address him as SJP itself. I always wished to meet him, talk to him. His speeches are so interesting and on point. His voice is too modulated and soothing to listen to. I have often heard his speeches on the radio. Girls of my school used to ogle over his looks. They used to say that he looks like a Greek God. His good looks add charms to his personality because he is too intelligent." Naina praised 'SJP'.

"You admire him so much. Would you have married him if he had proposed to you?" Kabir questioned her.

"Of course, I-I act-actually want to take a rest so I will leave," Naina said as she realized that she just spoke about her likings towards some other man in front of her husband. Sameer was just gazing at her with a smirk on his face. He knew about his qualities but listening to them from her he felt proud of himself.

"She's too innocent," Shrikha said with a smile on her face.

"I wish you were innocent like her but I like you the way you are." Kabir flirted.

"Shut up idiot!" Shrikha snapped and left the room taking her laptop along.

"Naina loves you already," Kabir said to Sameer.

"She loves SJP, not me," Sameer replied, getting back to his usual stern tone.

"Oh please! You are Sameer
Jay Prakash Maheshwari is addressed as SJP in the business world. Naina loves SJP which means she loves you. Don't make such simple things complicated, Sameer." Kabir spoke, trying to make him understand.

"This is bullshit! When she gets to know about the truth she would stop feeling anything for SJP too. And you know this very well that we can't love each other." Sameer replied.

"We will get to know that in the future. You will accept the same thing which you are denying at this moment." Kabir said being serious.

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